But check your purists preconceptions at the door, because this ain't no stripper model. Perhaps as a nod to Scion's content-cramming technique, all BRZ models come standard with a limited-slip differential; cruise control; eight-speaker audio system with navigation and XM radio; leather-wrapped steering wheel, shift knob, and e-brake handle; soft-touch dash; and black fabric trim. Step up from base Premium spec to Limited, and you get leather/Alcantara seats and surfaces, 17-inch wheels with summer tires (instead of 16s with all-seasons), vented 11.6-inch disc brakes up front, and vented 11.5-inches at the rear.But back to how it drives. Ergonomics play a bigger factor in the manual as your right hand must frequently leave the wheel to engage the six-speed trans. Shifter position and feel is excellent, lighter yet tighter, and far less rubbery than the WRX STI's hand-built gearbox (the two share the shift knob and lever arm). To be fair, the latter is built for the abuse of a much heavier, 300-hp rally racer. In terms of weighting and crispness, the BRZ is mighty impressive, though I'd still give the Mazda MX-5 the nod in terms of near-perfect positioning.

Why do we still love manuals so much? Because direct control over the transmission allows the driver to really ring out the RPMs and fill the BRZ's cabin with arguably the best exhaust note a Subaru has ever produced. It's loud and not particularly smooth, but completely beguiling and perhaps the beefiest-sounding 200-horsepower four-cylinder engine note around.

Manuals also encourage drag launches and other hooliganism. With VSC Sport on, one-two shifts near the 7400 RPM redline will loudly chirp rear tires. The two-three shift gives only the faintest pip, and not all the time (remember, there are only 150 lb-ft of torque). Wring it out all the way through sixth gear and you can enter SKC's 43-degree banking over 120 mph. At that speed, the BRZ feels stable and planted -- perhaps due to the number of aerodynamic doodads (rear diffuser, double bubble roof, deck wing [Limited only]) that help the car achieve a 0.27 coefficient of drag. We didn't attempt VMAX, but Subaru engineer say a 7450-rpm fuel cutoff limits top speed to 220 kmh -- which is approximately 136.7 mph. To be honest, that seems a bit low.

On the handling course, you can drive the manual BRZ differently than the auto -- upshifting and rev-match downshifting at will -- but you don't have to. Though relatively low on torque, the FA20 is quick to rev and pulls the 2800-pound chassis around with no real flat spots in acceleration. I left it in third gear for two laps of the road course and never felt the need to downshift, except for the tightest of hairpin corners. Staying in second meant bouncing off the 7400-rpm rev limit or repeatedly snicking the fantastic transmission.Just before I headed out to track for my second stint in the 6MT, a BRZ engineer let slip that the lateral acceleration target is 1.0g I tried to validate this claim on a giant circular skidpad using my patented belly fat accelerometer, but gave up after about 90 degrees in favor of practicing my best Keiichi Tsuchiya impersonations.As I said earlier, yes, the BRZ will drift, and it is a beautiful thing. The combination of low mass, low center of gravity, and rear-wheel drive creates a neutral-handling vehicle that needs only to be flicked into a corner to get the rear tires breaking sideways (no clutch kicking or other abuse needed). With just enough torque available low in the rev range, and a reasonably high redline, BRZ can keep its tires spinning while the exploratory "dabs of oppo" can be dialed in. This very different from the Miata/MX-5, which is only beginning to break sideways at the top of its rev range before you must shift and kill any sideways momentum.But it's not quite ready for Formula D just yet. While it has the snap to transition quickly from side-to-side and drift-to-drift, the BRZ needs more power to sustain the kind of high-speed drifts that win head-to-head battles. However, it would make a killer track day or autocross racer right off the lot with just a stickier set of tires (and Subaru says you can do that by folding down the rear seats and stuffing the 6.9-cubic-foot trunk with spares and tools. Try that in your Miata.)

Final Thoughts
The BRZ delivers as promised. Handling is as sweet as Orange Tang, but far less artificial-tasting. Power is not neck-snapping, but the car has just enough to make it exceptionally responsive. My frequent Mazda MX-5/Miata references are no mistake; the BRZ is definitely in that Zoom Zoom category of vehicles that deliver grins from pinning occupants to the side bolsters rather than seatbacks. The low mass, low center of gravity, and lack of dive and roll combine with direct steering and excellent outward visibility to create an exceptionally focused and pleasurable driving experience.
With the BRZ, instead of adding speed with the gas pedal, you can refrain from subtracting speed with the brakes. The car is about carrying speed and momentum, and will surely be snapped up by auto crossers and track day enthusiasts alike. Our drive was brief, but the takeaway message is that the BRZ is a scalpel in the current rear-drive knife fight.The 2013 Subaru BRZ will be available in seven colors (black, pearl white, silver, dark grey, dark blue, world rally blue, and red) when it goes on sale in May 2012. Expected volume for the BRZ is in the neighborhood of 3600-4000 per year and the cars will be built alongside the Toyota GT86 and Scion FR-S at Subaru's Gunma Main Plant. Prices are said to be "very close to the WRX" for base model (Premium), so expect $24,000 for Premium models and roughly $27,000 for the BRZ Limited. As precision surgical instruments go, that's a pretty good deal.

I agree with Tibbz with the turbo predictions. But being that this engine is a subaru taking note of the torque curve is important. In such a light car a good curve that is flat across the revs at around 150 could bring in decent performance. While the mustangs have come a long way with their live rear axle, i think the Toyobaru here will have them beat even with a track pack. The Mustang has plenty of power but i doubt they could come close to the finesse inherently designed in to this car. That being said, I love mustangs and will probably get one before this.

@MTTX,It may take a model year to do so, but I can almost promise you we will see the 1.6L Turbo (250ish hp) in this. The 2.0 turbo (300ish) may also be valid, though it may be a bit much for this chasis.

Hats off to Toyota and Subaru for bringing a relatively inexpensive RWD sports coupe to market.This car has a great little proven flat four square engine and is smart looking with a low drag body. Unfortunately, the car is not well balanced for a true sports car with a 54F/46R weight distribution. It is questionable whether they would ever consider adding a turbocharger because of having to add even more weight up front. The weight distribution is about the same as the V6 Mustang but is worse than the Miata which is much closer to 50/50.A low center of gravity is desirable but is not as important as weight distribution, e.g. most of the winning RWD GT cars (Ferrari, BMW, Corvette) in recent long distance international road races have relatively high c.g.s because they use V type engines with most using DOHCs. However these cars have at least 50% of their static weight on the rear wheels.

Nope.. not going to leave this car alone because It just wears me out that such a neat car comes out but soo underpowered. I don't get on the bandwagon either with folks bleating how Mustangs just don't handle worth a flip... have you not seen the numbers for the 2011 and up? In particular with the Track Pack? The new Mustangs are LIGHT YEARS ahead of prior ones so just get over it. I so happen to love Miatas and yea, they have 'enough' horsepower but are underpowered in my book.. even with the Turbo they were "ok". Luckily, we have places like Flyin Miatas to get the power more in line with the chassis. I'm not saying this car needs 500 horses to make me happy but cmon'.. this is the 21st century and I think 250 to 270 is a more realistic starting point for a car such as this. Believe me, if and when they come out with a FI version of this car, I will then promptly shut up.

I was probably a little harsh on a prior comment I made but I'm sticking to my guns.When it comes to horsepower,I don't subscribe to "less is more" and people who do this are only going to encourage auto makers to embrace just that. This is a great car with good looks and a great chassis but only has Civic SI levels of power. ?? Really????Interesting how people downplay Mustang and Genesis with the Genesis about to receive a power bump to 350hp..before we jump the gun on that comparison we need to see how this car fares under instrumented testing. Bottom line for me? when this thing has an option for more power then I will consider..Until then it's just a novelty.

I traded in my Porsche Boxster for an Infiniti G37 - surprisingly faster even though it looks like a Camry or Accord. I traded in my Corvette for the 2011 Mustang - better gas mileage yet enough power. I don't think the new BRZ can match either the G37 or the Mustang for performance, lateral Gs, MPG. Any thoughts?

Is this the final product? I have compared pics of the Subaru BRZ and its Toyota/Scion twin (the FR-S). Except for the grill (a trapezoid turned up to a smile on the Subaru and turned down for a catfish-like look on the Scion), there are virtually no visible differences between the two. Literally the same hood, doors, roof, windows, trunk, taillights, even the exact same wheels! I thought GM was bad a brand engineering in the '80s but this is much worse.

This sounds like a good one - we got rid of an MX-5 when our kids came along, in favor of an Outback, then replaced it with an MPV. And my '90 300ZX has passed 190K miles, and has no rear seat. I'll have to give it a look, I think.

Well that does read pretty good. That Blue sure does look nice on it. Numbers are not to bad as well but kind of a scarey price tag for 200HP now only if there was another engine something with more then 150lbft of torque. This is just a bad engine for it. Fuel econ should not be car of any sports car even if its 4cyc engine... Give me more torque.

This car brings out the ricer in me. I would love to have one (probably a Scion version, debadged) with an aftermarket exhaust, intake, and hopefully an engine reflash allowing higher revs. It's an exciting car, no doubt, and I can't wait to drive one. I'm glad the hype didn't lead to a total flop.

It's a nice car but the pricing should top out at $25k max. For $27k many will either go for the 300hp Genesis coupe or a used Z. I'm thinking Scion has got it right by offering barebones at lower price.

nice car.... but a little more pricey than what i had expected. with that said great handler and i'm sure it will have alot of buyers. i just wish the power band was bigger and the car was more torquey. definatly has it's place against the mustangs and camaros v6's though.... precision>power. sigh. here's hoping for a turbo version. cheers

I want one. Badly. Never liked the too plain, too snug Miata, and I hated the fact that Mazda refused to put anything more than 170 hp under the hood. The BRZ (and the other Toyota siblings) looks to offer spectacular bang for the buck, with adequate power and a host of amenities in a sporty, great-handling and looking package.

People say this new Toyobaru is about handling. But I don't think this car will outhandleMustang V6 with performance package (GT suspension and brakes).Mustang GT nearly matches BMW M3 in handling.Unless this car handles better than BMW M3,it has no chance against more powerful and fasterMustang V6.And at 25K, I don't think it is competitive.Also this car reminds of Honda S2000.S2000 was light and agile with high revving engine.At first, review was positive. But in the end, people got tired of pushing the engine as if they hate the car.With only 150 lb-ft of torque at over 6500 rpm, I am afraid same thing will happen.'Drive like you hate it, otherwise in normal driving, it drives like a nice Corolla.'

I think one of the most positive developments with the car is that they have created a natural feeling EPAS system. Between this effort and Porsche's commitment to the system in performance cars, we should begin to see better systems throughout the industry.

It' a nice looking car, but it kinda illustrates the pro/con vs a V-6. Consider the Mustang's V-6 gets 31mpg in a car that is about 700 lbs heavier. Now in my experience if you drive this little boxer hard enough to stay on the tail of the V-6 that is just cruising, the V-6 will still be getting near 30 and your mpg's will be dropping of considerably making this 4 cylinder work.Also consider should your BRZ get in an accident with the Mustang, the driver in the Mustang is a lot more likely to walk away, the BRZ driver probably not. It seems to me the handling is a much easier goal in the BRZ given it's low weight, but these numbers are about the same as what a Mustang will produce. So I'd say this is a GM clone - looks good, but the internals are not up to par.

This car is not about big HP, 200hp is respectable for a 2.0L NA engine, I admit I'd like to see a little higher torque numbers but the overall package for the money is very nice. If you want big HP get a new Mustang or Camaro, if you want a small little car thats an absolute blast to drive, get a BRZ. You'd be a fool to think they won't come out with a forced induction version of these cars within a year of it's release.

I'm a Miata owner and devoted Miata fan. I had high expectations for the Toyobaru, and it sounds like they haven't disappointed. That said, Subaru hasn't won me over. I don't particularly like the styling; overall, it looks awkward, and the front looks like a cross between a Panamera and a Peugeot 508. Ultimately, Subaru will likely never be able to offer a substitute for the widespread Miata community. I'm afraid the BRZ/FR-S will attract too many young, arrogant douchbags. I will certainly test drive a BRZ, but I will probably end up buying the 4th generation Miata when it it is released in 2013.

I would call this a very successful attempt. The price is right. The only real negatives I see are the small torque numbers that will effect power down low, the small trunk (can always get a WRX, Mustang, or Camaro), and the uglyish interior (liveable, but to boy racerish for my tastes).The 0-60 time estimate is a big win. Numbers aren't everything, but a sports car needs to be fast enough to feel fast. I believe that this needs to be competitive with V6s in a straight line in order to be succeful. Win. From the looks of things, the driving feel and handling are smoking, which are the two most important things about a car in my book. Couple in the decent price and it looks like a big win for Subaru and Toyota.Maybe this will be enough to tweak the Cruze SS and Focus ST developers to reach a higher goal. Hopefully.

Spazzonia,your a funny guy.Of course I know it's not all about the straight line when I mentioned the competition. The 2011 Mustangs, in particular with the track pack are no joke. The GT in fact ran pretty much neck and neck with the fabled M3 which caused quite the stir in the Bimmer community.(We're not even to the Laguna Seca yet). Like I said, this is obviously a cool car but were in the 21st century and 200hp is a joke.. especially in this type of car. I have no sympathy for people who compromise on hp because "it superior on handling and balance".. WHO CARES. If I'm going to pay a certain amount of money for this type of car and if a car has the chassis then why in the world be chintzy on the horsepower? NO excuse in this day in age. I for one will not put up with it. And one more thing.. let's just wait and see what kind of track numbers this thing can produce before we start knee jerking with statements like "the Mustang and Genesis couldn't hold a candle to this car when it comes to handling"

MT is still trying to hype this thing. The weight has already been released as 2770 lbs yet they estimate 2700. They were told pricing would be close to the WRX but estimated a low ball $24-27K. The base WRX is $25,595, the premium is $28,095, and the limited $29,095. Just give us the facts and stop trying to sell it.

@badonkadonkIts not overpriced. It just depends on what you value more as a consumer. If high hp and straight line acceleration is your thing, then absolutely, get the Mustang or Genesis 2.0T. However, neither of those will hold a candle to the BRZ in the handling dept. I would gladly give up hp and straight line acceleration for a more pure driving experience, and I think there's a big enough audience out there for this type of car over a Mustang or Genesis.

Hey.... horsepower queens, Suck it hard and suck it long. Go get your 300hp Mustang V6. This car is about handling and balance. Not about 0-60 times. It's you people that will never understand Miata's or in this case, the FR-S and BR.

Overpriced..If it is around 20k, I would consider it.At 25k, this Toyobaru hybrid can notcompete with Mustang V6 with performance pack.Maybe it is competitive with Genesis Coupe turbo.But Genesis is a larger, nicer carwith perhaps better gas mileage due to8 speed automatic.I think This Toyobaru is all hype but substance.

"17-inch wheels with summer tires (instead of 16s with all-seasons), vented 16-inch disc brakes up front"You can fit a 16" disc brake with caliper inside of a 17" wheel? Thats quite a feat making a caliper less than 1" thick.

I really like this car and in particular, the Scion version but the horsepower just doesn't cut it. With the 300hp V6 Mustang and the Genesis coupe now getting 270 out of their turbo, this car just doesn't make sense, especially in it's price range. Do something about the power output and I will consider.. until then? no cigar.

@platinol - understand what you're saying, but I prefer an independent setup over live rear axle. For only 200 HP, the initial track time is not too shabby. For those complaining about the back seat, please stop. If you want a large coupe with rear seat space, get a Challanger.Nice job Subaru, I may think about this one in a couple of years.

kinda funny that the article is titled 'surgical steel" yet out of the eight cones i saw, only one is still standing. the toyota parts bin comment on the cruise control seems to say that there is no turn signal stalk. either way, seems like a decent choice

Slightly more impressed than I thought I'd be if I'm honest (but taken with a grain of salt as almost all new cars are reviewed with such "delight"). But, still, that's not saying a whole lot. IMO, it's too expensive, though weight is pretty good in today's "heavier than yesterday" mindset. Still can't get past the boring-yet-at-the-same-time-trying-too-hard styling and cheap looking interior. For mid $20Ks, there are other options I'd pick - most that were listed in the article

Awesome. I'm glad the BRZ will be available with optional interior upgrades unlike the Scion FR-S stripper. Sounds like this is the real deal, can't wait to test drive one next year!Did anyone else notice the Subaru engineer said the skidpad target is 1.0g?? That's pretty amazing for a car that's only riding on 215-225 series tires.